On March 7 around 7:20 a.m., Gadsden Police contacted the Hueytown Police Department requesting that they send an officer to 2719 Novel Drive to complete a welfare check on Nika Sandlin, the owner of a 2003 Ford Focus. Gadsden police had been called to Riverview Regional Medical Center where Scott Lamar Abbott was being treated for stab wounds. Abbott was driving the car registered to Sandlin.

Hueytown police went to Novel Drive to look for Sandlin, but no one was home. Around 11:52 a.m. Hueytown police received a call to complete a welfare check at 225 Woodland Drive. Vicky Shotts had called police because she was trying to reach her great niece, Sandlin, who was now residing at that address, because she had not shown up for work that day.

Shotts said after trying to reach someone inside the house at the front door, she went to the back door and it was open. When she walked into the home she saw large amounts of blood and called Hueytown police. Once on the scene Hueytown police observed large amounts of blood in every room of the residence and then found two men and two women who had been slashed.

Hueytown police then contacted Gadsden Police following the discovery of the bodies and were told that Abbott had showed up at Riverview Regional covered in blood and the vehicle he was driving also had large amounts of blood inside. Gadsden police also found Sandlin's purse and personal items belonging to Jeri Cole inside the vehicle.

Hueytown police traveled to Gadsden and arrested Abbott at 5:39 p.m. March 7.